Dragonfae & The Soul Catcher Read Online Free PDF Page B

months.”
    “My mistress is stronger than you think.” Brew blinked. “ She has great compassion. I am sure she will overcome her fear and help you. It is in her nature to do so.”
    Lumos crouched down and rubbed the cat’s ears. “Then we must convince her to trust me. Go now and find her. I fear she believes me a threat.” He stood and watched the cat bound into the undergrowth.
    Damn these silver bands. How must I convince the sweet butterfly of my true self without magyck? He growled. Nomags—those non-magic species that called themselves human—had committed these unforgiveable atrocities upon this female. Yet where was the humanity in such treatment of one so innocent? Enraged by the tale the cat had told of the young witch’s rape, Lumos slammed a fist into the palm of his hand. Steam flowed from his nose, surrounding him in a white cloud. Birds screeched and took from the trees in noisy flight. All here knew him and sensed the power that rumbled deep within. He wanted to roar and let the dragon free. His being ached to seek vengeance on the men who had trampled his innocent butterfly, Thalia.
    Unable to control his anger, Lumos paced the clearing to test the boundaries of his prison. His skin grew hot. A sheen of sweat glistened on his forearms. He cursed the silver bands preventing his escape, his magyck, his revenge. The Magus of Fullmount would pay for capturing the protector of gods—the Dragonfae.
     
    * * * *
     
    Running wildly, Thalia searched for a place to hide. Disregarding the brambles tearing at her hair she crawled under a blackberry bush and into a small cavern occupied by a sleeping hedgehog. She blinked into the shadows, gazing around her hiding place and gasping in the musty air. All around her, dark brown stems knitted together, blocking out the sunlight. Safely hidden in the comforting twilight, she lay down, hugging her knees, and watched spiders weave webs in the tangled branches. The hedgehog stirred, opened one little, beady, brown eye, licked his long snout, and rolled into a prickly ball.
    Lumos. A mysterious name like no other, to be sure, and he did have delightfully pointed ears. The stranger stood head and shoulders taller than the king’s champion and such muscles. Gods, could he be an Elf? Nell had mentioned such creatures existed in the forest but her description had been of a small-boned male. A Fae? Yes, she recalled the stories of the rare, beautiful creatures that lived in a different realm, and only visited the humans in time of great trouble. However, the man had no wings. Lumos had mentioned that the Magus of Fullmount had trapped him there. The Magus? Why would a dark wizard trap Lumos there in the Singing Forest, a place of sanctuary and forbidden to men? Forbidden for man—not Fae or other creatures of magyck. Then it is true — Lumos is a creature of magyck.
    The memory of Lumos’ strong, muscular body sent a quiver deep inside Thalia’s core. Her nipples had ached at the sight of him. Not like other men, who carried the stink of sweat and grime, Lumos’ unique scent of pine forests with a hint of smoke had confused her senses. Gods, he had drawn her to him with those amazing eyes, that soft as molasses voice. Confusion curled in her mind. She clenched her fists in anger. I am a fool. No matter how friendly he appears, this Fae is a man and men only want to use me to satisfy their unholy lust.
    With a sigh, she watched a large spider bind a moth in a silken shroud and carefully deposit the neat bundle inside a large web. Thalia shuddered. Gods, she hated spiders. She gazed out of the small gap to see Brew pushing his way through the grass towards her. The cat let out a long purr and rubbed his burr-covered head against her chin. She tugged at the prickles in the cat’s fur and met his eyes.
    “Brew… I am so glad to see you. I thought that stranger would hurt you.” She stroked the cat’s sleek coat. “I should never have left you alone. I’m sorry. I